A Change of Heart
by OrigamiPaperAngel
Summary: There weren't many things the Kazekage wanted that he didn't already have. However, after an encounter with Rock Lee and a pregnant Tenten, Gaara realized just how much he wanted a child of his own. / Oneshot, GaaSaku x LeeTen.


**Author's Note:**

This was just an experiment with writing with different characters. I've never written _anything _about the sand sibs, and I wrote this to try to test my skills in how well I could get into a character for the first time. Personally, I think this came out terribly. For some reason I feel like I was really, really out of touch with the characters on this. (But then again, how do _you _think Gaara would feel during a sex discussion?) At any rate, critique is loved and totally encouraged.

By the way, Gaara and Sakura are married in here, so you can tell that everyone's all grown up in here. Mid-twenties or something.

Enjoy. C:

* * *

There weren't many things Gaara wanted that he didn't already have.

Since he had gained the title of Kazekage, he became generally more accepted by the villagers. He even got a few hesitant smiles or respectful nods as he walked through the streets, and although he refrained, these little gestures from the people made him want to crack a huge grin that rivaled even Naruto Uzumaki's.

Gaara understood pain, now, and love. Enemies had long since found ways to crack through his old defenses, and it was the very memory of warm blood trickling down his cheek that pushed him to improve his techniques. In the love department, Temari and Kankuro had opened themselves up to him, and for the first time in his life he knew how it felt to care about another person. He had a wife, even, and a very beautiful one at that.

The shinobi of Konoha knew her as Sakura Haruno. Initially, their marriage was strictly political, but through time, the two grew used to each other and their painfully formal relationship evaporated. However, Sakura was not up to taking their relationship to the next level. Dinners were fine, she had said, and she wouldn't mind a romantic setting by candlelight and a full moon, but any forms of physical contact were unwelcome. (Needless to say, their honeymoon had been the dullest in history.)

Gaara was just thankful that they didn't hate each other. Their marriage was somewhat happy, and while he wouldn't have minded making love to her, if Sakura felt awkward and hesitant about it, he wouldn't push it.

Perhaps by now you've gotten a basic grasp on the sand village leader's life. Overall, he was happy, but there was one thing he would have liked to have, something that had crossed his mind once or twice but he had long since shot down.

It took one small encounter to make him realize just how much he wanted it.

* * *

The weather was nice in Konoha that day. Sakura was pleased to be back in her home village, and she made a point to stop and say hello to all of her former companions. Gaara wouldn't leave her side, and while his wife had questioned this ("Don't you have business with the Hokage?"), he had explained to her that there was time to kill (or rather: "Naruto and I have arranged a meeting later on in the day. For now, I'll stay with you."). She accepted this, and, deciding that he wouldn't mind, she did not hold back when reuniting with old friends.

Gaara almost regretted this when they stopped by the Yamanaka flower shop and Sakura chatted with her best friend for _**over an hour**_. He barely paid attention; it was mostly talk of Sakura's life in Suna, missions, how well the flower shop's business was going, Ino's love life, the fashion in Suna, and other things the redheaded shinobi didn't find particularly interesting. Exactly sixty-one minutes into their conversation, Ino had looked over and noticed the kazekage for the first time. Then, she turned back to Sakura and said, "Er, maybe we can finish this later? It seems that Gaara-sama is a little bored." She giggled before adding, in an eager voice, "By the way, have you seen Lee and Tenten yet?"

"No," Sakura answered. "Why?"

"Ohmigod!" Ino burst out, blue eyes wide with excitement. Something must have happened to the two older shinobi, for Ino only used valley girl talk when it was something **big**. "_Check up on them! _You'll be, like, shocked! Seriously! Go, go, go, go, _go_!" She all but pushed her best friend out of the shop. With no respect for his political position whatsoever, the blonde kunoichi looked at Gaara and said, "You, too, Gaara-sama! Out!"

Flustered, the two exited. Once out, Sakura frowned and said, "Well, that was strange. What could possibly—Oh!"

At the sound of his wife's gasp, Gaara followed her gaze to a young couple across the street, eating at the outside tables of a resturaunt. He almost immediately recognized the man as Rock Lee, the taijutsu specialist he had crippled in the Chuunin exams and later rescued during the Sasuke Retrieval mission. Sitting across from him was his teammate, a girl whose name Gaara didn't know; he recognized her from the trademark buns only. She wasn't particularly beautiful in appearance, but she managed to take Gaara's breath away with her bulging belly -- and it wasn't in the obese way. She was pregnant, and by the looks of it quite a few months in.

Sakura rushed over to their table, even calling to Gaara to follow her. There was a big smile on her face, he noticed. _Peculiar. _

His footsteps were slow, for he wasn't as enthusiastic as she about talking to these people. But he walked forward after his wife, mesmerized by the swelling in the girl's stomach.

"Oh. My. _God_, Lee, Tenten." Sakura said, her hand on the girl's stomach. "I can't believe this! I didn't know you two were a couple!" She winked at Tenten. "Did you finally get the courage to confe--"

The future mother's face heated up in embarrassment, but her boyfriend cut in, "We started dating after you went away to Sunagakure," Lee explained.

"Oh! So, are you two getting married?"

"Yep!" Tenten rose a hand to reveal a large, sparkling diamond ring.

"Ooooh," Sakura cooed, holding Tenten's hand and admiring the ring. "It's lovely!"

"So is yours," The brunette said, eyeing Sakura's own diamond.

"Oh, this? Thanks!" Sakura smiled at Gaara, who nodded at the couple. "Anyway," the kunoichi continued, "is the baby going to be a boy or a girl?"

"We want it to be a surprise!" Lee exclaimed. "If our child is a beautiful green beast, we will name him Gai, for our late sensei. On the other hand, if we are gifted with a heavenly lotus, we've picked the name Mai."

"We both agreed on Gai for a boy, but it took us _forever_ to agree on a girl's name. You don't even want to _hear_the names Lee had in mind!" Tenten shook her head in disgust, causing her fiance to laugh.

Gaara checked out on the rest of the conversation. Next they discussed Sakura's life in Suna, and Gaara had heard her give this speech about a dozen times earlier today, all by herself. Throughout their talks he kept his gaze trained to Tenten's stomach, wondering how Lee must have felt when he learned that his child was inside of her, ready to come out and face the world. He must have been overwhelmed by feelings of pride and joy, the kazekage speculated, judging by the way the taijutsu specialist looked at her and glanced at her stomach when Sakura would ask a question about their child. Every once in a while Gaara would look up and catch Lee gaze lovingly at his fiance as she answered Sakura's inquiries. Whenever Tenten noticed his affectionate stare, she would blush and look away, but not without a small smile. Another thing that didn't escape Gaara was the fact that their hands rested on the table, Lee's on top of Tenten's, throughout the whole discussion. It didn't take a genius to tell that these two were passionately in love with each other, and this made Gaara burn with jealousy. He found himself wishing that he and Sakura were like that.

Before Gaara could mentally scold himself for thinking such things, he snapped back to reality when Sakura addressed him in the conversation. "... actually, our marriage is pretty happy. Isn't it, Gaara?"

"Why, yes, it is," He quickly responded, his face as impassive as ever.

Lee and Tenten exchanged a doubting look.

Gaara didn't like that. He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, pulling her closer to him. "We're considering having a child of our own, actually," he added before planting a kiss on her cheek. Their expressions? _Priceless. _Especially Sakura's; her sea foam eyes were wide with shock, and a pink darker than her hair warmed up her cheeks.

"Thank you for your time," Gaara said, nodding again to the couple, "But we really ought to get going. It was nice talking to you." And with that, he walked off.

"You, too...?" Lee murmured, completely shocked.

* * *

After that encounter, husband and wife were completely quiet as they walked to their hotel that was known to be reserved for only the of richest families and visitors. Once inside their luxurious suite, Sakura said, "Okay, what was _that_?"

"What are you talking about?"

The cherry-headed kunoichi placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, you know what I'm talking about. 'We're considering a child of our own'? Kissing me?" But then she stopped, and her tone became thoughtful. "I explained that I felt awkward about physical contact, considering how our marriage was originally a final confirmation of our village's alliance, but ..."

He should have known that she would react this way. "I'm sorry," he apologized, quickly. "It won't happen again."

Strangely enough, her face fell. Was she _sad_? "Won't happen again?" She repeated. "I- I was getting somewhere." Her face was a dark pink once again, but she looked at him as she asked, "Would you ... really ... like you have a child?"

The kazekage blinked. He truly hadn't expected her to feel this way. "Yes, I actually do."

"So do I," Sakura admitted. Her eyes drifted towards the large bed, and her blush dissolved. She smirked. "We didn't sleep together on our honeymoon, so we've got a lot to make up. How about now?" She looked at him expectantly.

He blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. Shocked. For the first time in his life, he was dumbstruck. "Errrrr..." His cheeks flared up for a full minute or two, but after he found the right words to say the blush died down. "I've scheduled a meeting with the Hokage in an hour. Why the sudden change of heart?"

She giggled at this. "I guess seeing Tenten made me realize how much I wanted a baby. Besides, we _are _husband and wife. We have to sleep together sometime." Her husband coughed at this, but she didn't stop. "... that kiss on the cheek didn't hurt, either."

Gaara was growing increasingly embarrassed during this conversation. Discussing sex with his wife felt so... _strange_. "Perhaps I should go early," he said.

"Huh?"

"To the meeting," he explained. "With the Hokage."

"Oh." Sakura blinked, then frowned. "Oh, _no_." She walked towards her husband, and removed her Konoha headband. "You're staying here." She pushed her arms against her face and leaned up for a kiss.

Gaara leaned back. "I ... don't think I should," he mumbled, looking away from his wife.

"Well, _I _do." She said, and her voice was firm. There would be no arguing. "We're doing it. Right here, right now. Before the moment gets ruined."

"I'll be late for the meeting!" Cried a desperate Gaara.

Sakura smirked at this. "Oh, come _on_. Naruto won't mind. If he complains even a bit, I'll punch him!" She giggled.

The kazekage opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by a kiss. He didn't complain one bit after that.

* * *

-- **END**.


End file.
